AntiM wrote:If you didn't see it, there is no reason to go into details about who and what. In general, one person began a thread about another person. It was unflattering at best. So, it didn't fly. PMs happened, it is now laid to rest.

Ahem. It had better be.

Also, I've needed a mod thread to address mod issues in general for quite a while. Someplace to throw up the bat signal to the rest of the board. The mods can get together in private, but the threads down in eplaya feedback are not effective means of communication to the community at large. Too many people ignore that entire section. Open Discussion gets enough attention to warrant a mod sticky. Technically not where this belongs, but it is where it works.

Didn't notice that thread either. Maybe is was started by, or the posts in question were made by someone I have plonked.

JK

JKhttp://www.mudskippercafe.comWhen I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.

I'll nitpick the "When We'll Moderate" section a bit more. I see moderation as a spectrum where the lightest moderation may be along the lines of preventing the place from turning into a link-farm spammer's wet dream, and the strongest would be to block bad grammar and other such minutia. I understand that everyone has a different view of what is valuable and what isn't, but I'm leaning toward a dynamic approach that tries to appease more sensitive people without going straight to the least common denominator where every post is puppydogs and rainbows.

I tried to pare the list of "When We'll Moderate" by leaning toward the light-handed approach informed by the 10 Principles wherever applicable. (Note that I intend for the first two to replace the linking policy of 1 link per post.)

Linking to unrelated products, to pages designed to take over a browser (pop-up pages, etc.), or to malicious pages like viruses and phishing (i.e. fake login pages).

Linking to commerce pages without adequate "full disclosure" as to the relationship of the link and the user such as links to one's own Cafepress or Etsy page, or to a company one works for. For an unqualified link, there should be no known relationship. For instance if someone says to go to some specific EL wire company in response to someone asking for EL wire, the implication is they are just trying to be helpful and not to coerce a buck or earn a kickback.

In the case where a user complains of libelous or threatening statements made against them. Everyone has their own comfort level with this, and complaints shall be taken seriously. Nonetheless, there is an objective standard to start from: is the offending statement really libelous, or is it a factual account of events? Saying "XYZ is a thief" is different from "I was at camp and XYZ came up and stole one of our bikes".

Relatedly, blatant libelous or threatening statements without a formal complaint. (In other words, similar to the "snide, rude, threatening personal comments about or directed at any person", but I'd argue that there is a lot of snideness and rudeness that gets bantered between people playing linguistic sparring, so I'd stick to the libelous end of things.)

(Kept as-is) Spam-whinging. (I'll add that this is a specific online thing akin to a Star Trek styled replicator for bullhorns would be on the Playa.)

(Kept as-is) Unnecessarily attitudinal or inflammatory language, or posts that attack a point of view without explaining why.

(Kept as-is) Posts that contain vulgar or abusive language targeted at any group, be it ethnic, racial, religious, class-related, etc. We hope this goes without saying. (I suggest adding a specific note about "hate speech" where ones ideas are assumed to be subjugated to an author's stereotypes of that individual.)

(Kept as-is) Content that (omitted: "knowingly") violates the copyright, trademark, or trade secret of any individual or entity. (Also, implicitly or explicitly attributing oneself as the creator of the work of someone else.)

I did see the thread in question. i even posted in it, although it was not in content an endorcement of its existence.

I skirt the edge all the time. It's nice to know where I should turn around. I would love to enforce the rules of good rhetorical techniques, there are a whole lot of straw men that would burn nicely. I recognize this will never happen.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Well, I've withheld posting any suggestions here because I wanted to give this some thought first. Now, after considerable thought, I see the reason I needed to even think about it is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with how the board is running now and how it is being moderated. Now, if some of the current moderators decided to not do this job any longer, I might have a different opinion, but as it stands now, I can think of nothing that needs improvement in that department.

Now as to the IT department and site hardware and software upgrades....but that would be thread drift.

JK

JKhttp://www.mudskippercafe.comWhen I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.

jkisha wrote:... I see the reason I needed to even think about it is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with how the board is running now and how it is being moderated.

Having been in this boat before, I realize the desire to quantify how one works as a moderator so successfully. This listing of guidelines helps, but it really relies on the people. Quality moderators can read a post that they wholeheartedly disagree with and not click "delete", and likewise delete an offensive post that they may agree with. I realize there are people in the world who can't separate personal opinion from everything else in their lives, and they are prone to abuses of power. Everyone is at least a little, but some people have practically no filter at all.

All that said, I think it's valiant to try and hash something out, but it'll always fall short.

when the current crop of moderators were recruited, there was a lot of discussion about the level of moderation. Several people wanted an impartial mod who was not a part of the community to enforce the rules in an unwavering way. Obviously we ended up with community members who know the board and the eplayans. I like it that way, it requires mediation now and then, but for the most part, it creates respect and cooperation. (No, really, NeonT, it does in the long run).

The board used to be subject to spambot attacks which required all hands on deck, Dork fixed that. Many of the other mods have lives and are too busy to spend hours daily skimming, interacting and tidying up. I have the time to spend here, a true luxury. That is why although we have half a dozen or more mods, I'm the main presence. No life.

AntiM wrote: it requires mediation now and then, but for the most part, it creates respect and cooperation. (No, really, NeonT, it does in the long run).

I dunno. I really don't see reforming anytime soon or showing any 'respect'. His schtick is to be the angsty 'badboy' of eplaya (oooh..so dangerous!), and he obviously has enough (read: too much) time on his hands to have thousands of posts and dozens of alters to do so. As I mentioned in the now-deleted attack thread he made about me, it really just makes me feel sorry for him. It's sad to see someone try so hard, yet fail so miserably.
It really doesn't bother me though, and I actually find it somewhat amusing. But what is unfortunate is that so many people use this board to research the event, to find & share information, etc., that aren't regular posters, but have to be subjected to all his antics.
Such is life though. We all can't live in a gingerbread house on lollipop lane.

So many of the civic advances of the 19th and early 20th century were brought to us by middle-class married women who had the time and the interest to "better the world" by campaigning. I sometimes wonder what we as a society [s]have[/s] lost when women entered the workforce in large numbers.

So we appreciate having a taste of that here, AntiM.

Edited for grammar.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

AntiM wrote: it requires mediation now and then, but for the most part, it creates respect and cooperation. (No, really, NeonT, it does in the long run).

I dunno. I really don't see reforming anytime soon or showing any 'respect'. His schtick is to be the angsty 'badboy' of eplaya (oooh..so dangerous!), and he obviously has enough (read: too much) time on his hands to have thousands of posts and dozens of alters to do so. As I mentioned in the now-deleted attack thread he made about me, it really just makes me feel sorry for him. It's sad to see someone try so hard, yet fail so miserably. It really doesn't bother me though, and I actually find it somewhat amusing. But what is unfortunate is that so many people use this board to research the event, to find & share information, etc., that aren't regular posters, but have to be subjected to all his antics.Such is life though. We all can't live in a gingerbread house on lollipop lane.

I love you too, nowgo fuck yourself.

did you noticed i used the color Neon Blue?

did ya?

god, i'm good.

you know what i REALLY LOVE...the fact that NEON bitched and moaned and cried to have an attack removed and then does the very same thing here...

So, we are starting off a new year, and it may be a nice thing to all give each other a great big group hug and be friends.
I am thinking that Simon and NT may need to be locked in a room for a few days to work out their differences.